The organisers have set strict requirements for mascots to qualify for judging.They should not only manifest the theme of the Expo “Better City, Better Life” and Chinese culture, but also be flexible in broadcasting and re-creation.“We are expecting to have some Chinese-style innovative ideas about the mascots,” the official said.The vital elements also include having human characteristics and being able to be loved by the public.Moreover, they should be eye-catching in advertisements, licensed products, Expo ads and graphic or 3-D animation in different mass media.

That group also issued a call for entries, receiving more than 600 responses. But none were considered innovative enough, and a design committee eventually came up with its own plan for figures representing four animals important to Chinese – the panda, fish, Tibetan antelope and swallow – and the Olympic flame.

All the entry forms caan be downloaded here.Our mascot choice? Baiji (白鱀), the Chinese river dolphin found only in the Yangtze. Isn’t she cute? Well, as of December, the “goddess of the Yangtze” is also extinct after some 20 million years. The least the Expo people could do is throw her image on some T-shirts.